Battle Scars
by FreeSpiritedWarrior
Summary: A cold winter leaves Finland in a weakened state. Ivan sees his chance to attack. Concerned, Berwald comes to his friend's aid. But what happens when Berwald and Ivan face each other? It is said that only countries can kill other countries, but when Ivan sees his chance to prove his theory, will Tino and Berwald survive his attack? [SuFin. Rated T for gore/possible character death]
1. Chapter 1

**So I'm kinda cheating with this one. I had no time to finish it and I'm leaving in an hour to go to a circus in Amsterdam... Tomorrow I don't have very much time either because I'm going to go ice skating and making pancakes (and try maple syrup for the first time) with three of my best friends.**

**So yeah... Here's a very short chapter... I hope I'll be able to upload something tomorrow and complete it...**

**Happy holidays!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

Many people know about The Winter War. Somewhere during the start of WWII, in 1939, the Soviet Union and Finland had gotten themselves into war with each other. The war itself had lasted 3 months, 1 week and 5 days. The Finns were outnumbered. The Soviet Union had had many participants, almost 3 times as much as Finland. But many don't know that this has happened before. Many years ago...

Even a pin could be heard if dropped on the floor. A piercing silence filled the house, leaving it's inhabitants doubting if it would ever pass. It felt as if one sound, even breathing, could be the end of your very being. No one dared to move, trying to prove what they had just heard had never happened. But there was no doubt in the existence of their problem. It was very real, and it was approaching rapidly.

It all happened so quick. There was no time to react. No time to prevent anything from happening. There was nothing they could do. The early winter had ruined everything. There was no food, the water was frozen, snow was blocking their paths. Many people had already died after being stuck in the snow for hours. The army was in no condition of fighting. Not now. But they had seen this coming. They had waited for this. They had waited for Finland to be at its weakest. And now, they were coming. Hundreds of soldiers crossed the border seperating Finland and Russia. They had bows and arrows, swords. Finland was outnumbered. Their weapons were not as strong as the Russian's. But their was hope. Coming from a nearby land from over the mountains were the Swedish troops. They were much stronger and consisted of more men. They brought reinforcements for their Eastern allies, food, blankets. Their longboats were built of much stronger materials than the boats built in Finland.

They were getting ready for battle, their axes and swords were being sharpened by various blacksmiths all over the country. There was no telling when the soldiers from Russia would attack, lead by Ivan Braginsky. They were approaching rapidly, their weapons leaving no man, woman or child that dared to come between them and their pray alive. There was no telling what they were capable of and how long it would take them to get Finland under their control.

Tino was sure he had never seen this many people in one place, ready to risk their lives for their land and culture. So many Swedes had come to join Tino's people in their battle, so few of them would return.

No less than four days had past when the two armies met each other on the battlefield with dawn still so far away. A rumor had spread, saying that the Russians would attack when dawn would reach over the mountains. The Finns and Swedes immediatly took their opportunity to make sure they had their reinforcements ready on the giant field for when the enemy would attack.

The participants of their eastern neighbors wasn't very big, but neither was their own. As expected, the Russian's had an army consisting of around 500 man. Their own was around half as much, but trained in a different way. They had often sent spies over the border, who would come back as confident as ever saying that the other's army wasn't disciplined at all and could fall apart easily. That is what they hoped for.

**Ugh. So short... :'(**

**I hope you enjoyed this very VERY short chapter and hopefully I'll see you in the next one..**

_**To be continued...**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again!**

**I intended to upload this and the first chapter together, but there was not enough time to finish it yesterday.**

**But, if you're ever in Amsterdam around Christmas, you should totally check out the ''Kerstcircus'' [Christmascircus] in Carré. A-MA-ZING**

**But enough of that.**

**I hope you enjoy Chapter 2 of my SuFin story!**

**Happy holidays!**

Night had fallen, the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, leaving Finland and its inhabitants worried. Tomorrow was the day. In just a few hours the Russians would attack, throats would be slit, head would roll and blood would be spilled. The soldiers, already in armor, looked like they could faint at any moment now. Their eyes had lost all of their lively colors, leaving them looking like empty physical bodies.

It worried Tino to see his and Berwald's people like this. There was no telling how many of them would be able to return to their families, who were anxiously waiting for any kind of news about their loved ones, good or bad. Many where still so young, just in their twenties. It truly broke and warmed his heart to see his and Berwald's people like this, making the best of the time they still had to spend with their friends around the fire before the battle began and the possibility of losing one of them would increase and increase. Brothers crying, never leaving each others side for those last hours.

Until the time was there. When the sun just peeked over the mountains, it was time for the Russians to attack. As expected, their leader, Ivan Braginsky, stepped forward. He looked confident, with a somewhat childish smile on his face and shiny armor. Tino felt a shiver run down his spine when the Russian laid eyes on him. He, Berwald and Ivan knew that they could not be killed by humans, but could be when someone just like them did the deed. It made them mortal, even though humans didn't believe that could happen.

Ivan smiled his childish smile, his mouth and body looking happy, but his eyes said otherwise.  
''This is your last chance, Tino. Surrender.'' His violet eyes focused on the smallest of the three, his head tilted to the side. A creepy psycho-like smile appeared on his face, giving even Berwald the chills. ''Or else.''

Tino took a deep breath, his eyebrows knitted together. ''I can't do that, Ivan,'' he said, loudly but shaky. He knew he had sentenced his own people to death by saying this, but he couldn't let Ivan take control in his own country. Tino had heard stories of how people got punished for things as small things like stealing an apple from a stall on the market. He had heard of how people's nails got ripped off, their eyes poked out or their tongues cut off with rusty tools, leaving the people like that get tortured by infected wounds, after which many would die. He didn't want to leave his own people to live in such a condition.

Ivan's smile only grew bigger. ''Your choice,'' he said, followed by a creepy grin. His army of muscular men slowly began moving forward, but the Finns and Swedes didn't budge. They stood as a strong built wall, their swords and bows at the ready. Their faces showed no fear, but their minds said otherwise. But deep in their heart the courage started to unfold. They did this for their country and would pass away knowing they did it for a good cause.

**Another one down. Yeahhhh!**

**I hope I can post another chapter or another one shot I'm working on tomorrow.**

**Until then,**

**Happy holidays!**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hellew :3_**

**_At last.. I am back..._**

**_I truly hope you can forgive me for staying away for such a long time ^^_**

_''Wait up!''_

_The boy kept running._

_''Berwald, wait for me!'' he tried again, trying his best to stop the branches from hitting him in the face as he ran through the woods, trying not to lose track of his Swedish friend. Berwald didn't respond and crossed a fallen tree to cross the river underneath. If he wasn't concentrating on keeping his balance, Tino would have stopped just wonder about how someone like Berwald could be as flexible as he was._

_While Berwald pressed on, Tino was almost tiptoeing over the fallen tree, which had gotten slippery overtime because of all the moss and other plants growing on the tree. When he finally reached the other side, he had lost Berwald completely._

_He was nowhere to be seen._

_Speeding up his pace, Tino began to use his arms as some kind of wall to block out the branches, keeping both of them at a 90 degree angle on both sides of his head. It reminded him a little of those wooden soldiers. Little toys carved out of wood, often painted red or blue. Only the kids born in rich families had the privilege to own one of them. Of course Tino was special, and many people had wanted to sell him dolls just like that in Helsinki, but he didn't feel the need to have them._

_Why would he even buy something like that so he can play on his own? It was so boring without someone he could spend time with. A friend. That's what he had always wanted. Someone to trust and to spend your days with._

_He had found one now._

_Tino could faintly make out the blue fabric of the taller boys coat around 30 feet in front of him, disappearing behind the trees every time he turned a corner._

_''Odota, Berwald! Odota minua!'' [Wait, Berwald! Please wait for me!]_

_Wait up! Please!_

_Suddenly, Berwald stopped, causing Tino to run into him and almost fall on the cold ground, but Berwald caught him just in time. He pulled the little boy to his feet again and took a moment to look around him. They were in a clearing. The early rays of sunlight illuminated the wet blades of grass, the dewdrops resting on top of them._

_''You okay?'' Berwald's low voice echoed through his head. He felt okay, but why was it that his heart seemed to be tearing apart? He didn't understand this feeling Berwald gave him. It hurt. Not physically, but his mind never seemed to be at rest, and his heart ached. Every time he saw the Swedish boy talk to any other person, it felt like he was ripped apart from the inside.. Like someone took out his heart, tore it in a pieces and threw the remains of it on the ground.._

_Could it be... Jealousy?_

_No, he thought to himself, he wasn't like that at all.. He had never been the jealous type.. All he wanted was for his people to be happy, that was his job. As a country, you had no rights. You were a disgrace. People were afraid of you and even tried to kill you from time to time.. There was no safety, no friends, no hope._

_That is, until he met Berwald._

_With so little emotion, he always managed to make Tino smile so bright he could light up Finland with it._

_''Tino? You okay?''_

_His eyes shot up, looking right into the bright blue eyes of the one he cared most for. Said person was awfully close, but it actually made Tino feel so much safer. Happy._

_He nodded, his blonde hair bouncing on his head as he did. ''Yeah.. I'm...'' His eyes searched Berwald's features, stopping at his lips. ''Fine..'' he mumbled as he inched closer. Berwald's hot breath hit his dry lips as he came to realize what they were doing. But for some reason.. It make him feel amazing.._

_And after a few agonizing seconds, he finally closed the distance between their lips.._

**It took me a while.. But I finished it.. It's short, I know, but I couldn't think of anything better..**

**So I actually have a friend from Finland who was kind enough to translate for me... Yay, I don't fail and say something else by using google translate now! :3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yaaaaaaaaaay~ I'm back again :)**

**Yes, I know it's not much, but I'm leaving to go on a holiday to Mallorca (a Spanish island, for those of you who don't know) tomorrow and I wanted to upload this chapter.. Or at least as much of my unfinished chapters or one-shots I was working on...**

**So I hope you'll enjoy this little chapter I wrote for you lovely people~**

Dawn had finally arrived. With every second passing the air seemed to get thicker and the looks in the eyes of the soldiers seemed to get more desperate. All the courage, confidence and strength he had seen in his men had been replaced by fear and sadness. The was nothing left to do. No turning back. In this cruel game of life and death, there was no such thing as mercy. Only pain, regret and mourning. There was no feeling like having to watch your soldiers, your people, your country, sacrifice themselves for the justice that may never be found. For hours and hours he had heard the men cry, whisper to each other. He had seen the fear in their expression and heard the shaky voices. There seemed to be no end to it.

Yet here they were; lined up as one, Swedish and Finnish men with pain in their heart, but cruelty in their minds. There was no stopping the domino-effect. Once it is set in motion, you can't stop the chaos that's about to come rushing towards you.

As the Russians approached, time seemed to stop. Their pace might have been quick, but the agonizing fear came painfully slow. Tino swallowed down the lump in his throat and looked over at Berwald. He truly admired how calm the Swedish man could be, even in times like this. Seeing his calm face brought peace upon him. If only he could see his face like this again. Day after day after day. He wanted Berwald to be the first thing he would see in the morning, and the last before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. All he wanted since that one fateful day was for Berwald to hold him close and whisper sweet nothings in his ear. They would pretend like nothing ever happened, like the gallons of blood on their hands were never spilled. If only he and the Swede could be together forever, he was sure he would finally feel what true happiness was like…

But the world was cruel. As a nation, you were not allowed to be happy, Tino had learned that a long time ago. All you could do was sit and wait as decades, even centuries passed until someone came along who showed you kindness. Someone who didn't treat you like garbage. For Tino, the only person that had even shown him kindness was Berwald, and it turned out that Berwald was in the same scenario as him. Every nation dealt with the immense hate from their own people. As a nation, you were a freak, an outcast, a demon. Demons did not deserve kindness. All of them were in the same boat, but just a few of them were willing to help each other out.

''Ready?'' a low voice asked came from the right. Tino snapped out of his thoughts and turned his head to look at the voice's owner. Berwald looked at him with his bright blue eyes that seemed to enchant Tino with their beauty.

He shrugged. ''As ready as can be, I guess… There is not much I can do…'' he mumbled. ''Ivan suspects me to give up my country, but I will never surrender and let my people suffer from the cruelty he showed his own country.''

His voice seemed so confident, but on the inside he was shaking like a leaf in the wind. More like a hurricane, actually… He'd never admit it, but he was scared. He wasn't willing to watch his people die because Ivan was greedy and wanted more land. But he wouldn't be able to stop the Russian army himself and he knew that very well…

''Sve?'' he asked in a soft voice right after Berwald looked forward at the approaching army again. The man next to him responded with a _hmpf_-sound.

''Yeah?'' he said afterwards, figuring he might have been sounding unfriendly, while he didn't mean to be.

Tino swallowed nervously again. ''Are you scared?'' he squeaked.

Berwald shrugged. ''Worried…'' He was never very talkative, so responding with merely one single word was nothing new for Tino. ''Tino, we've fought stronger countries… The only real danger is his insanity and intelligence. He's not as strong as he seems to be…'' He looked back at the smaller male. ''Trust me. You'll be okay, Tino…''

The Finnish man looked forward again. Tino… He couldn't remember the last time the Swede had called him that, but he surely liked the sound of that… Tino… Yeah.. He could definitely get used to that.

''I do trust you..'' he whispered, before approaching the enemy with his head held high. He might have been small, but he knew how to look as intimidating as possible. Ivan wasn't the only one who was intelligent…

~0o0~

Ivan chuckled in a low voice. ''Not willing to give up, are you..? Tino.''

He spoke in such a teasing tone, it actually sounded almost as insane as the person the voice belonged to. A chill ran up Tino's spine when he looked the Russian man straight in the eyes and saw a dangerous glint that was hidden in the purple mass. He wasn't planning on losing this battle, but neither were Tino and Berwald.

The Russian man looked over the Finnish and Swedish army. ''I see you've brought your little friend along…'' A smirk formed on his face. ''What's wrong, Tino? Are you so weak you had to call that little friend of yours to help you?'' He chuckled again. ''Pathetic..''

Berwald looked down at Tino with a warning look. ''Don't.'' They both knew Ivan had been aiming for this, but Tino wasn't about to give this man permission to insult his country like that.

''You seem rather confident,'' he said with a calm voice, as if he had never been insulted. A smirk decorated his face. Berwald thought it looked rather good on him. ''But you and I both know your insanity will only get you this far. How are your sisters, by the way? I can recall a time they were both obsessed with you, but I don't see them anywhere?'' He couldn't hide this smirk any longer. Sometimes it just felt so good to make a smart remark to bring someone down… ''Have they finally left you?''

Ivan's smirk disappeared at light's speed and his eyes seemed to lose that playful glint.

''Smart choice… After all, who would want to be near a disgrace to the world like you?''

**Well, I hope you enjoyed that... I know the characters might be a little (way more than a little :$) OOC... But I hope you can look past that and enjoy it anyways...**

**What I would love more than anything is if you could take the time to leave me a review. I absolutely love reading what you guys think about the stuff I write and 99% of the time, I will respond :)**

**So yeah, until next time... **

**Have a unicorn-tastic day~**


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